Jaxsyn Paisli Amero
Alisha and Jeremy Amero of Amarillo announce the birth of their daughter, Jaxsyn Paisli Amero. She was born Aug. 26, 2009. She weighed 7 pounds, 2 ounces and was 21 inches long. She has a sister, Michelle Amero. Grandparents are Sharron and Danny Amero and Tamy Lane.

Marroquin-Gloe
Lori Marroquin and Jason Gloe were married Saturday, July 11, at The Legacy in Lubbock. The Rev. Matt Maples officiated.

Dacre Stoker writes sequel to Bram's classic
Long before Edward Cullen of the "Twilight" series and Bill Compton of HBO's "True Blood," there was the original vampire, Bram Stoker's Prince Dracula, in the gothic horror novel "Dracula."

Bank closures hit 100 for the year
WASHINGTON - Bank closings for the year hit 100 on Friday when regulators shut down Partners Bank in Florida. Financial institutions nationwide have collapsed under the weight of soured real estate loans and the Great Recession.

Industry halts 'Smart Choices'
PORTLAND, Ore. - A food industry group is voluntarily halting promotion of its nutrition labeling program after federal regulators said such systems may be misleading consumers, officials with the group said Friday.

Fed chief asks for help from Congress
WASHINGTON - Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke prodded Congress on Friday to enact legislation overhauling the nation's financial regulatory system to prevent a repeat of the banking and credit debacles that had thrust the country into crisis.

Awaiting the indicators
NEW YORK - Wall Street may be roaring again and manufacturers see a bright future selling their wares in Asia. But for many Americans, it's still a downturn until the jobs come back.

New Fla. plant turns to sun
ARCADIA, Fla. - Greg Bove steps into his pickup and drives down a sandy path to where the future of Florida's renewable energy plans begin: acres of open land filled with solar panels that will soon power thousands of homes and business.

Fortune redesigns amid advertising lull
PHILADELPHIA - Fortune is embarking on an ambitious redesign of its business magazine, as a vicious advertising slump is forcing the publication to cut the number of issues published and ditch old standbys like CEO covers to become more competitive.

Call made to aid small business
WASHINGTON - Big banks that got big bailout bucks should return the favor by lending more to qualified small businesses, President Obama says.

Whirlpool profit tumbles 47 percent in 3Q
MILWAUKEE - Whirlpool Corp., the world's biggest home appliance maker, raised its profit outlook for the year on Friday, saying cost-cutting that has tempered steep sales declines will pay off in the final quarter of the year.

Auto tax breaks still possible
NEW YORK - Missed out on Cash for Clunkers? Uncle Sam still has a few bones to throw your way if you buy a car before the end of the year.

Facebook tweaks home page based on feedback
NEW YORK - Facebook is tweaking its home page yet again in hopes of making it easier to find information. Among the latest changes is a list of items you might have missed during those rare moments spent away from the online hangout.

Google's chief favors limited net neutrality
WASHINGTON - Google chief executive Eric Schmidt favors net neutrality, but only to a point: While the tech player wants to make sure that telecommunications giants don't steer Internet traffic in a way that would favor some devices or services over others, he also believes that it would be a terrible idea for the government to involve itself as a regulator of the broader Internet.

Dwelling on the numbers
No Texas apartment market remains immune to the effects of job losses and other economic factors, one industry expert said.

Amazon expects more growth
SAN FRANCISCO - Low prices, solid customer service and an increasing willingness by consumers to spend on discretionary items contributed to Amazon.com Inc.'s solid third quarter, and the growth should continue despite weakness elsewhere in retail.

Rig count rises
HOUSTON - The number of rigs actively exploring for oil and natural gas in the U.S. this week has risen by eight, to 1,048.

GM board to meet to discuss Opel sale
FRANKFURT - A General Motors Co. executive said Friday that the company's board will meet Nov. 3 and discuss concerns about the sale of European unit Adam Opel GmbH, but gave no details on when the transaction might be completed.

Recyclers crunched for time
WASHINGTON - Trade-ins from the Cash for Clunkers program are piling up and auto recyclers are seeking more time to meet the deadline for disposing of all those vehicles.

'Horns dominate early, rip Mizzou
Colt McCoy completed his first 11 passes and produced touchdowns on No. 3 Texas' first three drives, helping to put Missouri away early in a 41-7 victory on Saturday night at Columbia, Mo.

Longhorns coach respects Missouri
COLUMBIA, Mo. - Blaine Gabbert's numbers have plummeted the last two weeks while he's been hobbled by a sprained right ankle. So have Missouri's fortunes, with losses to Nebraska and Oklahoma State.

Raiders on a roll
LUBBOCK - For the first time in Texas Tech coach Mike Leach's tenure, there's no Red Raiders quarterback anywhere on the national list of top passers heading into tonight's game against Texas A&M.

A trickle or a mass exodus?
LONDON - On the surface, it looks like a polite tug of war between two of the world's great churches, each saying nice things about the other.

Faith Briefs
Pleasant Valley United Methodist Church will have a pancake breakfast from 7:30- 9:30 a.m. today at the church, 316 Valley Ave. Cost is $6 for adults and $3 children 12 and younger. Tickets are available at the door. Proceeds to provide scholarships for the PVUMC youth to attend summer camps. Call 806-383-5542.

Abundant alternatives
Halloween alternative festivals, dinners and game nights are not "boo" kind of events. While several events precede the spooky night, others are conducted in direct competition with old fashioned trick-or-treating.

For starters, Crumb tackling Genesis
LOS ANGELES - His religious upbringing might well be as unorthodox as the psychedelic-inspired comic strip characters that have made R. Crumb the most famous underground artist of his time.

Changes to land trust challenged
SALT LAKE CITY - A polygamous sect is asking the Utah Supreme Court to overturn a state court decision that stripped the religious purposes from its communal land trust.

Notre Dame trustees elect Jenkins to a second term
SOUTH BEND, Ind. - The Rev. John I. Jenkins, who came under fire for inviting President Obama to the University of Notre Dame campus, has been re-elected to a second five-year term as president of the school.

Dear Abby: Husband's driving puts business at risk
Dear Abby: My husband, "Harvey," and I have operated a home-based business for more than 20 years. Harvey is an amazing technician, extremely efficient with his time on the job. The problem is, he is always in a hurry to get to the next job.

Heloise: Tips for relocating animals
Dear Readers: Are you relocating and need to get Fido, Fluffy or Tweetie Pie to where you are going and don't want to drive? Did you know that many airlines these days have "preferred pet" shipping, where you can ship your dogs, cats and birds in climate-controlled and pressurized comfort?

Dallas exhibit features flapper style
DALLAS - From glittering beaded flapper dresses to silky pantsuits meant for entertaining at home, a new exhibit celebrates a time when women bobbed their hair, ventured out to speakeasies and dared to shorten their hemlines.

Borger overcomes four turnovers to win
BORGER - The Borger Bulldogs led a charmed life Friday and as a result virtually clinched their first playoff berth in four years before a crowd of more than 4,000 at Bulldog Stadium.

Canyon beats Dons, 35-21
The Canyon Eagles remained undefeated in District 3-4A play, scoring the final 14 points of the game to knock off the Palo Duro Dons, 35-21, Friday night at Kimbrough Memorial Stadium.

Three city TAPPS teams win
The San Jacinto Christian Academy Lady Patriots advanced to the regional round of the Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools playoffs by sweeping Round Rock Christian on Saturday.

Hereford tops SA Lakeview
Hereford's Parker Bridwell had 112 yards on 14 caries and a touchdown, and also went 15-of-20 passing for 82 yards and a touchdown as the Whitefaces knocked off San Angelo Lakeview, 48-14, in a District 4-4A game.

Another narrow loss
The promise of an auspicious start to District 2-5A play doesn't seem to mean a lot to the Tascosa Rebels right now.

No. 7 Canadian routs Booker
Canadian, the state's seventh-ranked team, scored five times in the first quarter and held Booker to minus-20 yards rushing en route to a 69-0 win against Booker.

QB Cornelius leads Falcons to 63-8 win
Bushland quarterback Sawyer Cornelius was Mr. Do-it-all for the Falcons in a 63-8 road win against the Panhandle Panthers as they continue to roll in District 1-2A.

Odessa sends Gorillas to first loss
A special start for the Amarillo Gorillas, off to their best start in franchise history, came to an end Friday night as the Odessa Jackalopes knocked off Amarillo, 9-4, before 1,195 fans at Cal Farley Coliseum.

Stars' wingers Eriksson, Neal on same page
ST. LOUIS - There are not many experts in the NHL who will confirm the existence of "winger chemistry," but it seems to be something that Loui Eriksson and James Neal are developing for the Stars.

Rockets move on without All-Stars
HOUSTON - Yao Ming is out, David Andersen is in. Tracy McGrady faces an uncertain future and Trevor Ariza took his place and his jersey number.

Rebuilt Mavs try a new way: it's all about the team
DALLAS - Drew Gooden is on his seventh NBA team. So is Tim Thomas, although you could tack on two more for the clubs he played for twice. Shawn Marion is "only" on his fourth team, but all the moving around has come in the last 18 months.

Spurs take on a new look
SAN ANTONIO - Unlike nearly half of the San Antonio Spurs, Tim Duncan came back this season. That meant coach Gregg Popovich did, too.

Column - Jon Mark Beilue: Jeepers, these haunts give me the creepers
Walk around the yard of the creepy residence at 3006 S. Tyler St. with all the witches and tombstones lying around, the skeletons in the tree branches, the spider webs throughout, and you would expect Bela Lugosi in a vampire cloak to answer the door with a drawn-out "Goooood Eveeeeening."

Hereford man found guilty in child's death
A Deaf Smith County jury deliberated for a little more than an hour Friday afternoon before finding a Hereford man guilty of killing a 17-month-old girl, officials said.

Teen faces pot charge after wreck
A Caprock High School student was arrested Friday after a traffic accident near the school that led to police finding a small amount of marijuana in the car.

Turning negatives into positives
A former Air Force commander who investigated the space shuttle Columbia accident said Friday there remain lessons to be learned from the tragedy, particularly the need to confront, rather than sidestep, institutional problems.

Seen around town
A squirrel eats nuts Friday in the downtown area. A wintry cold front is predicted to roll into Amarillo this weekend, bringing the possibility of snow by the middle of next week. With colder temperatures at hand, no doubt animals are stocking up on food supplies.

Texas GOP elects new party chairwoman
AUSTIN - Cathie Adams has been elected the new party leader of the Texas Republicans by a 36-25 vote during a special meeting at party headquarters.

Rare Eldorado trial to focus on FLDS sect
SAN ANGELO - The first jury trial in more than a decade in the sleepy West Texas town of Eldorado involves an alleged polygamist and an accusation of sexual assault of an underage bride, a far cry from the occasional drunken driving cases that normally occupy the Schleicher County court system.

Protesters call for end to death penalty
AUSTIN - Death penalty opponents, convinced an innocent man was executed in 2004, staged a rally Saturday at the Texas Capitol to call for a moratorium on capital punishment and to highlight the controversial case of Cameron Todd Willingham.

H1N1 an emergency
WASHINGTON - President Obama declared the swine flu outbreak a national emergency, giving his health chief the power to let hospitals move emergency rooms off-site to speed treatment and protect noninfected patients.

Canadian High School band to compete at Alamodome
Canadian High School's marching band will take its "Trail of Tears" on Nov. 2-3 to the Alamodome in San Antonio after finishing in the top three bands at the University Interscholastic League area contest Saturday night at Lowery Field in Lubbock.

Socorro Zaragoza
CLOVIS, N.M. - Socorro Zaragoza, 54, died Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2009, at Covenant Medical Center in Lubbock, Texas. Rosary will be said at 6 p.m. Tuesday in Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church. Funeral Mass will be at 10 a.m. Wednesday in Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church with Deacon Daniel Chavez as celebrant. Burial will be in Mission Garden of Memories. Arrangements are by Muffley Funeral Home Inc.

Hazel Noble
Hazel Noble, 87, died Thursday, Oct. 22, 2009, in Panhandle. Graveside services will be at 3 p.m. Sunday in Citizens Cemetery in Clarendon with the Rev. Bud Kidwell, her son-in-law and pastor of First United Methodist Church in Panhandle, officiating. Arrangements are by Robertson Funeral Directors of Clarendon.

Letter: Keep government out
In the health care debate we hear everything in the world. The reason for the attempt at reform is to rein in the costs of health care and ensure that every American can get care.

Letter: Prize goes to 'star power'
Republican Party Chairman Michael Steele and others are right to attribute President Obama's Nobel Peace Prize to "star power" and that power has exerted its charm in last week's columns by Leonard Pitts Jr. and Greg Sagan.

Letter: Right wing rejects sanity
It's interesting many right wingers protest so vehemently the charges that they are prejudiced. They write vile things about our president and are so opposed, for no valid reason, to his receiving the Nobel Peace Prize.

Column - David Dewhurst: Texas enjoys relatively good health
AUSTIN - Given recent comments about our state's budget, I feel it is time to separate fact from political fiction. The fact is, in stark contrast to the U. S. Congress, the Texas Constitution requires the Legislature to balance the state budget every two years, and that would have happened with or without any federal stimulus dollars.

WT volleyball team sweeps Incarnate Word
The sixth-ranked West Texas Lady Buffs won their third volleyball match this week Friday night by sweeping Incarnate Word in nonconference action at the WT Fieldhouse.

The Maroon and White Zone: Two teams on the rebound
Analysis, statistics, strategies, quotes and numbers about tonight's Lone Star Conference game between West Texas A&M (3-5 overall, 2-2 in the LSC South) and Angelo State (6-2, 2-1), 6 p.m., Kimbrough Memorial Stadium.